Latinitas:Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers

Discover how 40 influential Latinas became the women we celebrate today! In this collection of short biographies from all over Latin America and across the United States, Juliet Menéndez explores the first small steps that set the Latinitas off on their journeys. With gorgeous, hand-painted illustrations, Menéndez shines a spotlight on the power of childhood dreams.

Napoleon Vs. The Bunnies

The renowned Napoleon Bonaparte faces an army of a different sort in this witty, unconventional telling of a true event in his life. Everyone knows the Battle of Waterloo was Napoleon Bonaparte’s most crushing defeat, right? Well, some beg to differ. It seems there was another less famous (though perhaps more humiliating) surrender in his past. Let’s call it Bunnyloo. In 1807, Napoleon had ordered his chief of staff to round up rabbits for a celebratory hunt, only, he collected domesticated rabbits, not wild ones. So, when the rabbits were released to begin the hunt, they didn’t run away. Instead, they ran straight at Napoleon and his hunting party. Now, some might think Napoleon — king overthrower, army commander, territory conqueror — would only laugh at an advancing battalion of cute, fluffy bunnies. Think again!

Walking For Water: How One Boy Stood Up For Gender Equality

In this inspiring story of individual activism, a boy recognizes gender inequality when his sister must stop attending school — and decides to do something about it.Victor is very close to his twin sister, Linesi. But now that they have turned eight years old, she no longer goes to school with him. Instead, Linesi, like the other older girls in their community, walks to the river to get water five times a day, to give their mother more time for farming. Victor knows this is the way it has always been. But he has begun learning about equality at school, and his teacher has asked the class to consider whether boys and girls are treated equally. Though he never thought about it before, Victor realizes they’re not. And it’s not fair to his sister. So Victor comes up with a plan to help.

Spin a Scarf of Sunshine

‘On a gentle slope in rolling hills stood a little house of wood and stone. There were hens and bees and apple trees, bright flowers and soft green grass. And Nari had a little lamb of her very own.’

As the seasons change, Nari and her parents shear her sheep’s fleece, and spin and dye the wool. Nari knits the yarn into a cosy yellow scarf. But as Nari grows older, her beloved scarf becomes tattered. It’s time to recycle the wool into compost, with a little help from the worms. This charming picture book will help children understand where clothing comes from, and is a joyful celebration of traditional crafts and sustainable living. The luminous illustrations are full of character, texture and seasonal detail.

Sakamoto’s Swin Club:How a Teacher Led an Unlikely Team to Victory

The inspirational and little-known story of a dedicated teacher who coached Hawaiian swimmers all the way to the Olympics, beautifully told in simple rhyme.When the children of workers on a 1930s Maui sugar plantation were chased away from playing in the nearby irrigation ditches, local science teacher Soichi Sakamoto had an idea. He offered to take responsibility for the children — and then he began training them how to swim. Using his science background, Sakamoto devised his own innovative coaching techniques: he developed a strict practice regime for the kids, building their strength and endurance by using the ditch water’s natural current. The children worked hard under the dedicated Sakamoto’s guidance, and their skills improved. They formed a swim club and began to dominate in swimming events around the world.

Butterfly For A King

The fascinating true story of a beautiful native Hawaiian butterfly, a great Hawaiian warrior king, and current-day efforts by scientists and citizens to restore the butterfly’s declining population.
The beautiful Kamehameha butterfly lives in Hawaii and nowhere else on Earth. Named to honor the great king who united the Hawaiian Islands, the butterfly is one of only two species native to Hawaii.

Berta’s Boxes

Berta is tidy, never throws tantrums, and never cries. Whenever she feels overwhelmed, she just opens one of her boxes of emotions and shuts in her tears, fear, and anger. But what would happen if one day she lost control? Berta discovers that emotions should be felt and not locked up. Berta’s Boxes is a wonderful story about dealing with emotions and learning to understand and express your feelings.

Amira’s Picture Day

Just the thought of Eid makes Amira warm and tingly inside. From wearing new clothes to handing out goody bags at the mosque, Amira can’t wait for the festivities to begin. But when a flier on the fridge catches her eye, Amira’s stomach goes cold. Not only is it Eid, it’s also school picture day. If she’s not in her class picture, how will her classmates remember her? Won’t her teacher wonder where she is?
Though the day’s celebrations at the mosque are everything Amira was dreaming of, her absence at picture day weighs on her. A last-minute idea on the car ride home might just provide the solution to everything in this delightful story from acclaimed author Reem Faruqi, illustrated with vibrant color by Fahmida Azim.

Daughter Of The White Rose

Nell Gould is the daughter of the royal butcher, a commoner, but she has been raised as the playmate of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth’s royal children: Princess Cecily, Princess Bess, Prince Dickon, and Prince Ned, heir apparent and Nell’s best and closest friend. They think alike, her and Ned, preferring books and jousts to finery and gossip and the sparkle of the court. But when King Edward dies, Prince Ned is imprisoned in the Tower of London by his scheming uncle, the evil Richard III–and Nell with him. Can they escape? Is Nell the key?

City Of The Plague God

Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents’ deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life.Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn’t know it, and that’s about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble. Sik’s not in this alone. He’s got Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side, and a former hero named Gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in Central Park. Now all they have to do is retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from being wiped out by disease. To succeed, they’ll have to conquer sly demons, treacherous gods, and their own darkest nightmares.